


She's Ours

by misswritingobsessed



Category: Code Black (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-07 08:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15215453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misswritingobsessed/pseuds/misswritingobsessed
Summary: When Ariel’s biological mother shows up at Angles wanting her back, Ethan and Leanne must fight for their daughter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Super scared to post this! It is a/u, but the idea was stuck in my head, so I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> Disclaimer - I own nothing.

The hospital had been in Code Black for close to four hours, which was nothing compared to some night, but tonight, things had been especially tough on everyone. A bus crash on the highway, a roof collapsing at a school dance, and a fire in a care home, meant that half of LA was in Angles waiting to be seen.

Leanne had just left a patient who was now stable enough to be moved to sides, when she walked back into her office, her heart breaking at the sight of her fourteen-year-old asleep on the couch. She knew Ariel didn’t mind, the teen suddenly not wanting to be home alone, but she knew that her couch in a crowded hospital wasn’t the best place for her.

“Mum?” Ariel’s voice was quiet, and sleepy.

“It’s okay, my love. Go back to sleep.” Leanne whispered, crouching down in front of her, leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead. “I promise, I’ll be done in a few hours and then we can go home.”

Ariel shifted slightly. “Emily said I can stay with her when you and Ethan work nights,”

Leanne sighed, she really should have thought about that before dragging the teen to the hospital for her shift, knowing full well that she had a week of school ahead of her.

“We’ll sort something out tomorrow, sweetheart, now, you go back to sleep, we’ll be going home before you know it.”

Leanne slowly got up, trying to be as quiet as possible so Ariel could fall back to sleep, and so she could have a moment to herself before she headed back out into the chaos that was centre stage, but the person on the other side of the door had other ideas.

“Come in,” Leanne said loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough as to know wake her daughter.

It was Ethan who pushed the door open quietly, closing it behind him. Leanne watched as he took a moment to look over at Ariel, a small smile on his face.

“She’s just fallen back to sleep, I told her we would be heading home in a few hours. Apparently, Emily has said she could stay with her when we worked night shifts.” Ethan chuckled lightly, walking over to sit on one of the desk chairs.

“Somehow I can’t see that working out very well, but I agree, we should sort something out.”  

“Did she tell you why she doesn’t want to stay home alone anymore?” Ethan asked after a moment of silence. It had been a few weeks ago that Ariel had actually wanted to go to work with them, offering to help Jesse out, or do homework.

Jesse had said how much better she had been since her adoption got finalised, and how much calmer she was. He’d even gone so far as to make himself her honorary uncle, as had Mario and Angus, and of course, then Noa joined in, although she called herself more of the big sister Ariel never had.

“Jesse said she mentioned something about school and someone asking after her? I don’t know, I didn’t want to push her. I don’t mind her being here, at least she has people who can keep an eye on her. Hopefully, she’ll open up soon.” Leanne shrugged. Her guess was as good as his.

“Asking after her? Like an old family member, or maybe an old patient, someone from New Mexico or?” Ethan asked.

Leanne shrugged again. “I thought her family were all dead. I thought asking Child Protective Services was being too overprotective,”

“She’s our little girl, it’s not being overprotective is it keeps her safe.” Leanne couldn’t help but smile at the term ‘our little girl’. As much as Ethan hadn’t adopted her himself, he was still a big part of Ariel’s life.

Leanne and Ethan had begun a casual relationship not long after Ethan started, and as time went on, the relationship grew, and the moment Ariel showed up, Ethan promised to be supportive no matter what Leanne choose to do, and now, nearly a year after the outbreak that nearly killed both Leanne and Ariel, they were as much of a family as they could be.

“Ethan?” Ariel’s sleepy voice interrupted what Leanne was going to say next.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” He asked, moving from his seat to sit on the couch next to her legs.

“How are those kids?” She opened one eye to look at him, before opening them both, quickly searching the room for Leanne.

“From the school dance?” Ariel nodded. “They’re doing okay, they’ll all make full recoveries.”

“Good,” Was all Ariel got out before Leanne and Ethan’s pagers went off again.

“We’re needed in Centre Stage,” Leanne said, getting up from her desk, moving over to Ariel, kissing her forehead again, before moving towards the door.

“We’ll be back soon, okay? Try and get some sleep.” Ethan said with a smile, before he got up and joined Leanne as they made their way back to their patients.

* * *

Getting to centre stage, Jesse gave both of them sympathetic looks, and instantly Leanne’s mind went to the worst case scenario. They’d lost someone. Maybe a school kid from the dance or the old gentleman from the care home, or possibly one of the tourists on the bus from Arizona.

“What’s going on, Mama?” Leanne asked, her eyes scanning the beds in centre stage.

“This is Shona, she was on the bus that crashed, she’s been checked out and other than a broken ankle and fractured wrist she should be good to go. Dr Dixon is going to move her to sides once you’ve spoken to her.”

“Why do I need to speak to her?” Leanne asked, looking over at the woman who Elliot was currently treating.

“She won’t tell me, she just demanded you, daddy.” Jesse shrugged, ready to follow Leanne over.

Ethan, who was stood behind her, gave Jesse as curious look. It wasn’t often people asked for specific doctors.

“Hi,” Leanne said as she took a few steps over. “I’m Dr Rorish, how are you feeling?”

Leanne looked at Elliot quickly, hoping her could give her the nod, that all this woman’s vitals were stable.

“She’s stable, we’re taking her to sides, awaiting a full x-ray of her ankle before booking her in for surgery,” Dr Dixon filled her in.

“I’m fine. Thank you for coming, you guys seem busy,”

“Well, we do what we can. So, how can I help you?” Leanne gave the woman a warm smile, her brain running through everyone this woman might have been, who she could have been related to, if she’d seen her before, if the name Shona rang a bell.

“You can give me my daughter,”

“Excuse me?” Leanne asked, her heart jumping into her throat, and her eyes squinting slightly, hoping she’d heard the patient right.

“I’m Shona Braeden, I’m Ariel’s mother.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariel wasn’t stupid, and as much as they thought they could hide things from her, they couldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super scared about posting this, but it has some good moments in it!

Leanne felt all of the air leave her lungs as she took a step back from the bed. Instantly she felt Ethan behind her, a hand of her back, and although she didn’t like the thought of them being overly touchy while at work, she was grateful that he was there.

“Dr Dixon is going to move you somewhere more private,” Ethan stepped in, trying to get Leanne away from the woman.

“Look, my daughter,” Shona tried, but Ethan was having none of it.

“Ariel is our daughter, we legally adopted her,” Ethan said, before the woman could say anything else, he knew it would only make matters worse, but he couldn’t help himself. He and Leanne didn’t fight for months on end just for this woman to show up out of nowhere and break them apart.

He moved his hand from Leanne’s back to her waist, slowly guiding her away from the patient, looking over at Jesse who only nodded, a silent ‘I’ve got this’ as both of them made their way to the breakroom. Neither of them wanted to wake Ariel, or let her in on what was happening, she shouldn’t have to deal with it.  

“Ethan,” Leanne’s voice broke as they got to the breakroom, her hands running through her hair as she began to pace.

The Army medic was speechless, he, himself was still trying to figure out what just happened.

“Nothing came up. Nothing came up in her adoption, we assumed her parents were dead, I mean her father is dead, I know that, but he said before he died it was just him and Ariel, I mean, CFS knows, right? They won’t take her off us?” Leanne began venting, instantly the thought of Ariel being taken away consuming her.

 “No,” Ethan took a step forward, his hands going to her waist, stopping her pacing and pulling her into his embrace. “No one is taking her away from us.”

Leanne took a few minutes to feel safe against his chest, letting him comfort her, before she pulled her head up to look at him.

“She knew, Ethan. She said people were asking after her, she knew…” It hurt Ethan’s heart to know that Leanne was probably right, but he knew he couldn’t blame Ariel, the kid was scared, and after all the conversation he’d had with his daughter, he knew she liked to be grown up and deal with things alone.  

The three of them were close, more so now since everything had been finalised. They had really become a family, and while Leanne was ‘mum’, Ethan was happy just being Ethan until Ariel felt comfortable calling him ‘dad’. She’d said it a few times in conversation, but she was usually being smart or sarcastic, but at the end of it all, Ariel had lost her biological father, and he knew the scars would take longer to heal. He would refer to her as his no matter what she called him.

“Why wouldn’t she tell us? We could have gone about this a different way, we could have done this properly, now, now that woman is a patient, and,” Again, Ethan pulled her into a hug, Leanne was getting ahead of herself, but truth be told, his mind hadn’t stopped spinning yet.

“Hey, let’s just calm down, okay baby? Let’s just take a breath.” Ethan moved them both back to sit on the couch.

“Ethan,” Leanne’s voice was strained and quiet. “She’s going to be so confused. What if she thinks were mad at her? You know how she get’s sometimes,”

“It’s going to be okay, Leanne. We just need to finish up our shifts and then take our daughter home. We can deal with this tomorrow, call CFS, and speak to a professional, okay, we’ll call Ariel’s case worker and get this all sorted out.”

“She loves us, Ethan, she trusts us, okay. She trusts us, she has a home, and,” Leanne felt a few more tears roll down her cheeks.

It had taken them months to get Ariel settled. It taken months to build that trust, and for Leanne and Ethan to build a strong relationship with her, and for her to figure out her relationships with them. Ethan was the one to protect her, well, protect the both of them, and Leanne was the one to give comfort, no matter how big or small the issue was.

“And we love her, that’s not going to change just because some stranger showed up claiming to be her mother. We do this the right way, we do the checks, hell we run DNA if we must. Leanne, that girl asleep in your office is ours, you know it, I know it and Ariel knows it, and,” Ethan stopped, he knew he was coming on to strong, right now Leanne needed comfort.

“The only place she is going, is home with us, and tomorrow morning I will drop her at school if she’s up for it, and then we will make those phone calls.” He finally finished what he wanted to say.

Leanne sighed, wiping her eyes quickly before reaching over to cup Ethan’s face.

“I love you, more than anything, you know that right,”

Ethan couldn’t help but nod and smile. “And I love you. We’ll figure this out, Leanne. She’s our little girl.”

* * *

Back in sides, Elliot had finally gotten Shona settled, without getting too overwhelmed at all the questions she was asking.

“How are you doing over here, Dr Dixon?” Jesse asked as he made his way over to the bed.

“Ms Braeden is asleep, all vitals are good, and she has finally stopped interrogating me.” Elliot sighed, giving Jesse as relieved look.

Jesse chuckled. “Just keep telling her the same thing. You don’t know.”

Elliot moved closer to Jesse. “It’s none of my business, but, Ariel’s not leaving right? I mean, Dr Rorish and Dr Willis will do something, right?”

“If there’s one thing I am sure of, Dr Dixon, it’s that Ariel Rorish is one of the most important things to both of those doctors, the second thing I know, is that, if you don’t know that by now, you haven’t been paying attention.”

“Hey, mama,” It was Noa who interrupted the conversation with a very concerned looking Mario and Angus. “We all heard, what can we do to help?”

Jesse looked between the residents, before shrugging. He honestly didn’t know, he wasn’t surprised they knew, gossip in this place got around, more so since it concerned Ariel, which the senior nurse found more heart warming than annoying.

“I don’t know. Right now, Ariel is asleep, and Dr’s Rorish and Willis are talking in the breakroom. I am sure they’ll come and get us if they need us.” Jesse wanted to give them more. He wanted to know more, but he knew Ariel was oblivious to everything that had happened in the last thirty minutes and he wanted to keep it that way.

“I’m going to see if I can help,” Noa said. “I can’t just stand about and do nothing. They’re going to need us. Maybe I could take Ariel home?” She suggested, looking at those around her.

“Noa’s right, this might not be the best place for Ariel to be,” Mario put in, he knew they all poked fun at him for seemingly not caring, but he had spent time getting to know Ariel, they all did, and he knew it was going to seriously mess with the kids head to know that her dead mother was alive and asking for her.  

Elliot nodded in agreement. “The patient is pretty loud when she want’s to be. I mean, we should shield Ariel from it as much as possible.”

The group stood for a moment, before Angus finally spoke, nodding in the direction of Leanne’s office.

“Better think of something quick,” Their eyes quickly went to the half-awake teen walking their way.

Elliot was the first to move, pulling the curtain around the sleeping patient. Jesse then turned to face the teen, trying to read her face before she began asking question, Mario tried to act normal, but it wasn’t happening, and Angus, well, he stood quietly, hoping he would becoming invisible.

As much as they all loved Ariel, they didn’t want to be the ones who told her.

“Ariel how are you doing?” He asked, smiling at the young girl.

“I’m okay, do you know where mum and Ethan are?” She asked, looking around, searching for her parents, before looking back at Jesse.

“You know, I think they had a patient to deal with, but I have just finished up with my last patient, and Angus said he can cover me for a while, so why don’t I take you home?” Noa spoke before Jesse could.

“Yeah, I can tell your mum and Ethan that you’ve gone.” Jesse smiled.

“I can give you guys some money, get take-out while you wait for your mum to finish up here?” Mario said, reading into his scrub pockets.

Ariel nodded, a certain look in her eye, but she was still half asleep. Just as she was about to walk off to get her stuff she looked between all of them, folding her arms across her chest. “Is something going on?”

“Not at all, come on, let’s get your stuff,” Noa put a hand on her arm, hoping to guide her away from where they were all standing. Noa knew that nothing could happen without Leanne or Ethan’s say so. No one wanted her to get involved and despite Jesse and the others not knowing the whole story, none of them wanted to see this family torn apart after they’d fought so hard to be together.

“He offered to give us money,” Ariel pointed to Mario, “He never does that.”

“He’s just trying to be nice, kid. Go on, get your stuff, let Noa take you home,” Angus tried, hopeful that Ariel would just do as she was told, but they all knew the teen, and as Jesse had pointed out a few times, Ariel didn’t do anything she didn’t want to.

“No,” Ariel’s voice grew a little louder, and as if on cue both Leanne and Ethan appeared behind them. Jesse tried to give Leanne the heads up, but Ariel had turned around before Leanne could notice the face of her best friend.

“Honey are you okay?”

“She’s here isn’t she?” Ariel asked, looking between her parents. She wasn’t stupid, and as much as they thought they could hide things from her, they couldn’t.

“Ariel,” Ethan said, taking a step forward, but that did nothing, Ariel only backed up, tears now building in the corner of her eyes.

“She’s here isn’t she? My mother’s here, she wants to take me away doesn’t she?” Ariel’s voice was loud, but they could all tells he was on the verge of breaking down.

“Ariel, let’s just go home, okay? We can talk about all of this there,” Leanne tried, hoping she could keep all of her own emotions at bay.

The teen wouldn’t move, she just stood there, watching her mum as she tried to hold herself together, watching as she felt her whole world fall apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was their little girl, and she had two parents who were going to fight like hell to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super pleased with this, but I hope it's enjoyable for you all!

“Ariel, come on, let’s go home,” Ethan said, bringing them all out the awkward silence that had come over them.

“Please just answer me,” Ariel said, and for the first time, there was no anger or attitude behind her words, just a simple plea for it all not to be true.

“Honey, we are going to fix this, we’re going to sort this out.” Leanne said, stepping forward, her arms out to hug her daughter, she half expected the teen to push her away, but instead, Ariel, blinked a few times, letting a few stray tears fall, before letting Leanne wrap her arms around her.

“Mum, I don’t want to leave,”

“No one is leaving, Ariel, we’re going to fix this.” Leanne told her, the hospital be damned, she didn’t care who was watching, Ariel meant more that her reputation, right now, her teenager needed her, needed to know that she wasn’t leaving, that she was staying right there with them.

“Leanne, take her home, let me deal with Campbell.” Jesse told her quietly, taking a step closer.

Leanne only nodded, keeping Ariel close to her chest, as she gently pulled her to move in the direction of her office, hoping and praying that they could get out of there before something happened.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Ethan told them both gently, watching as Leanne lead Ariel back to her office.

He took a moment before looking at the people in front of him, before he looked at the friends in front of him.

“Is she okay? The patient?” Elliot nodded, handing over the chart. Ethan glanced at it, before handing it back.

“Should we get a psych consult?” It was Mario who asked, and while Ethan wasn’t all for the idea, he wasn’t against it either.

“Look, I know you’re Ariel’s dad, but we treated her biological father two years ago, he said that Ariel’s mother died when she was three and it was just the two of them,” Angus put it, hoping not to offend the doctor stood in front of him.

“I get it, I do, but we need to do this the right way. Even though she’s ours we still get checked and all the rest of it, so Leanne and I have decided to call Child Family Services tomorrow and get them to check this out.”  Ethan wanted to go about it the other way. He wanted to be the over protective father, but Leanne was right, Ariel trusted them, and he didn’t want to break that by making a scene.

“We’re going to take her home and do our best to talk to her.” Ethan said looking at Jesse, the only other person who knew about Ariel’s sudden fear of being home alone.

“We’ll be here if you need us,”

Ethan didn’t have to question the truth behind what Jesse said, he knew how much he’d come to love Ariel, just like they all had, and he knew how much he cared for Leanne, so Ethan left the group knowing that they would more defiantly be there if they needed them.

* * *

 

“Mum,” Ariel began as Leanne gathered all of her stuff together. The teens voice was quiet and scared, and Leanne hated that she felt that way.

“Yeah, honey?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Leanne sighed with a smile, shaking her head.

“Oh sweetheart, why didn’t you? We would have sorted this out, and maybe we could have avoided this? I don’t want to see you upset or hurt or scared that you’re going to get taken away, we could have made calls,” Leanne said, stopping herself before her soft voice turned firm and she began to get frustrated.

“I wanted to deal with it on my own. I didn’t want you to have to worry, I know how hard you fought to get me, I didn’t want you to think all that hard work was for nothing. I don’t even know who that woman is.” Ariel folded her arms across her chest, falling back to sit on the couch.

“And that is what we need to remember,” Ethan’s voice came into the room, and both of them turned to look at him stood in the doorway.

“We still don’t know who she is.” They knew Ethan was right, there was still a small possibility that Shona was lying, and that Ariel’s mum really did die when the girl was three.

“Ariel,” Ethan began, moving to sit next to her on the couch. “I know you want to be a grown up, and it’s nice that you want to be so mature, but you need to let us help you, especially with things like this. We’re your parents, and we love you and we don’t want anything to happen to you, so you need to let us know when people start saying things so that we can fix it.”

Ariel nodded, a few tears spilling over her eye lids. “I’m sorry,”

Leanne couldn’t help but sit down as well, pulling her daughter into a hug.

“It’s okay baby. Let’s go home, and if you feel up to it, we can talk about how this happened, okay?”

The girl needed sleep, they all did, but Leanne knew her well enough now to know that if the girl had something on her chest, she would worry until she broke down. They all need to talk, Ariel needed to go through what she knew, and she and Ethan needed to comfort her in every way they knew how.

* * *

Getting Ariel home was easy enough, she fell to sleep in the back of the car, and Ethan and Leanne got lost in quiet conversation.

“Do you think she is the biological mother?” Ethan asked, his voice quiet hoping not to wake Ariel.

“I don’t know, I mean, we can’t rule it out,” Leanne shrugged as she kept her eyes on the road.

“We need to know what she knows. Ariel and Shona, I guess. We’ll speak to Ariel tonight, if she feels up to it, and I will speak to Shona tomorrow.” Leanne glanced over at Ethan, a small smile playing on her lips, something she hated herself for in the moment.

“What?”

Leanne shrugged, she knew her mind should have been focused on Ariel and the situation, but she couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her at the though of Ethan being overprotective.

“As much as I love to see you get all protective over us, I don’t know it that’s the best way forward. If the CFS start to investigate we need to be on our best behaviour.”

“Mum? Dad?” Ariel stirred slightly in the backseat.

“We’re here, sweetheart, we’re nearly home.” Ethan said turning so he could see her, his heart jumping for joy at hearing the word ‘dad’.

“I didn’t mean to lie to you,” Ariel said, her voice still full of sleep as she tried to wake up a little more.

“We know you didn’t honey, but let’s not worry about that now. Let’s just get you home so you can get some rest,”  

Leanne glanced in the rear-view, watching as Ariel drifted back to sleep, then looking over at Ethan, taking in the hurt and worry on his face before her focus switched back to the road.

“She’s ours, Ethan.”

“She certainly is,” They were going to figure this out. One way or another, they were her parents, they were her home, she belonged with them. It didn’t matter what Ariel knew and what she did or didn’t tell them, nothing was going to make Leanne or Ethan walk away.

She was their little girl, and she had two parents who were going to fight like hell to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She is ours, and that, Ms Braeden, is final."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think Ethan is the type of person to just let someone else handle it!

Jesse smiled over at the teen as she tried to do some more of her homework. Despite all that was going on, Leanne wanted to keep some kind of order and routine in Ariel’s life, a part of her knowing that things could get worse before they got better.

“How’s it going over there?” He asked, as Ariel turned the page in her textbook.

Ariel looked up, giving him a shrug. “It’s not too difficult. I guess I like maths, so it’s not too hard.”

Jesse chuckled. “I mean with everything else, but, I am glad to see you’re finally taking school seriously.”

“Well, I have parents to make proud now, so I guess I had to start paying attention.” She shot back with a smile.

Jesse couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl and her parents. He loved Leanne like a sister, the woman was his best friend and when she had come to him about adopting Ariel he had been over the moon, because the little girl needed so much love and Leanne had so much love to give, now, after finally settling in to family life this was happening.

“Are you mad that I didn’t tell anyone?” She asked, her voice quiet as she put her pen down.

“No, I’m not mad, and neither are your parents. We just want to help you, Ariel, we want to make this as easy for you as possible, that’s why your parents wanted you to tell them.” Jesse said softly.

Ariel nodded in understanding. Leanne and Ethan had spent most of the night telling her that they weren’t mad, they just wished that she’d told them, so they could have done something, fixed this, protected her from it all.

“Hey, sweetie,” Leanne appeared in the doorway, and instantly, Ariel could tell she’d been crying.

Ariel felt a rush of fear go through her, she hoped she could stay calm, keep her nerves and keep her tears at bay. She didn’t want to cry anymore, she just wanted this to be over.

“Did you speak to Child and Family Services?”

Leanne nodded, taking another step into the room. “Yeah, they’re going to go through your file, but in the meantime, you can stay here with us, so you won’t have to go into temporary accommodation,”

“Where’s dad?” Ariel didn’t even want to talk about CFS, all she needed to know was that she was staying at home, with her mum and dad, where she was supposed to be.

“He had to go out for a while, but he should be back soon,” Leanne lied, this time, going to sit down next to the teen, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling the Ariel closer to her side.

“It’s all going to work out, love.”

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Ethan paced up and down outside of Shona Braeden’s room. He knew deep down that he really shouldn’t be about to confront her, but he needed to, he needed to know what her plan was, how this was all going to play out. He needed to protect his family, he was taking it upon himself to ensure that Ariel was safe, and she had a home and she was loved.

And while Leanne had insisted on letting the professional’s deal with it, Ethan couldn’t bring himself to just sit back and watch as someone else dealt with the wellbeing of his daughter.

Checking the corridor once more, he stepped forward, knocking on the door, before walking into the patient’s room. Looking around he saw the woman he wanted to speak to sat up in bed, reading a book, looking seemingly fine apart from the monitors beeping next to her.

“Ms Braeden, I’m Dr Willis,” Ethan introduced himself.

The woman put her book down, smiling, something that made Ethan’s skin crawl. No matter how much trauma the woman had been through, he was sure she could remember his words – that Ariel was his daughter.

“I know who you are, and I only have one thing to say to you,”

Ethan wanted to laugh, he’d seen this routine many times, he could tell how this was going to go.

“And what’s that?” He asked, coming to stand at the end of the bed.

“I am not leaving without my daughter.” The woman’s voice was dark, but Ethan wasn’t that easily intimidated.

“She stopped being your daughter the moment you decided to leave. Now, she is my daughter, and I am going to do all I need to do to ensure that you stay the hell away from her.” Ethan knew how much trouble he could get in to. He knew a nurse could walk in any moment, but he didn’t care.

This was Ariel they were talking about. His child. The one that came into his life just a year ago, but who meant so much to him, to both him and Leanne.

“You don’t know the full story,”

“Enlighten me then,” Ethan shot back, watching as the woman’s face changed. Yeah, he knew this routine.

“Look, Dr Willis, all you need to know is that when I am well enough I am taking my daughter home,”

Ethan shook his head, a harsh laugh escaping his lips.

“And if you think that I will ever let you take my daughter then you have another thing coming. Leanne and I are her parents. She is ours, and that, Ms Braeden, is final.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leanne had already lost two children, she didn’t want to be the third.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this kind of broke my heart a little, but I hope you enjoy it!

It was closer to midnight when Ethan finally got to Leanne’s. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go home, it was more he didn’t feel he could. He was still so angry and confused. Angry at himself for going to see Shona, confused as to who she was and why it never came up in Ariel’s file that her mother was still alive.

Of course, he knew from him time in the Army that there were multiple reasons that Shona didn’t show up in Ariel’s records. It spanned from a name change, to domestic abuse to a criminal record. Ethan just wished he knew which one it was.

As he closed the front door as quietly as he could, he listened for a moment to see if he could hear any signs of his girls being awake. When the house stayed silent, he made his way upstairs, opening and closing the door to his and Leanne’s bedroom, he wanted to check and Ariel, but at the same time, he wanted to give her space, so he decided against it.

Getting changed, he threw his clothes in a pile near the dresser, knowing that in the morning Leanne would give him a lecture, but he didn’t care, all he wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep, hoping that this would all go away tomorrow, and everything would go back to normal.

“Ethan,” Ethan smiled at the sleepy voice.

“It’s just me, love. Go back to sleep,” Leanne rolled over, groaning a little, but shaking her head.

“Tell me how it went with Shona,” She said, her eyes still closed as she cuddled into his chest a little more.

“She wants her daughter, and I said, maybe a little too aggressively, that she wasn’t getting her. We need a plan, Lea. I don’t like that we have no clue who she is, or why she’s here. I mean, is she really Ariel’s mother?” Leanne finally opened her eyes, hearing her lovers’ frustration.

“I called Child and Family Services. They are running checks, they’re going to get back to me. But, I also spoke to Mario, he said he overheard Shona on the phone, not long after you left, sounded very official.” Ethan sighed.

“What do we do? I mean, this kid has been to hell and back, she lost her dad, she was in and out of juvie, I mean, she ran away. Twice. Finally, we have some routine going, and we’re this normal family and now this happens. When will the world give her a break?” Leanne chuckled lightly, not at the situation, but at Ethan.

When she met him, he was happy enough to be the guy who came to work and went home, but now, he cared a little too much.

“We keep going. I mean, I spoke to Ariel, she’s happy to go back to school, CFS are looking into her biological mother, and me and you, we go to work and we be normal.” Leanne suggested.

“I just wish I knew why she was really here.” Ethan said quietly, shifting his position so he could wrap his arms around Leanne.

“Me too. But, I guess until we do, we just have to be normal, for Ariel’s sake.” Ethan had to agree with that.

He couldn’t believe everything that had happened in the space of 48 hours. Shona turning up, claiming to be Ariel’s mother, having to reassure Ariel that neither he or Leanne was going anywhere, but knowing deep down that neither of them could guarantee that, then speaking to Shona.

It was a mess.

“We should sleep. Tomorrow, I can chase the CFS again, maybe I could speak to Shona. You know, mother to mother?” Leanne said, and Ethan could hear the strain in her voice, and it nearly broke him.

He stayed quiet for a moment.

“Ethan, if she’s called Child and Family Services,” Leanne trailed off.

“I know love, but Ariel’s ours, and we will fight for her.” No matter what, they would both fight for their daughter, but Ethan knew what Leanne was saying.

As much as they would fight, and promise, neither of them could be sure what the courts would decide, neither of them could say for sure that Ariel would stay with them, and that was the one thing that scared the both of them.

* * *

Ariel had heard Ethan come in, and for once was thankful they he hadn’t checked on her.

She laid on her bed staring at the ceiling, thinking of a way to make this right. Her mind going back to everything that both Leanne and Ethan had done to get to this point, and if she was being honest, she was more worried about them, than she was about herself.

She had grown so close to them, and while people said she was closer to her dad, she knew she couldn’t live without her mum. Leanne had given her so much. Ariel had given Leanne another reason to keep going, and Leanne had given Ariel more love, affection and self-worth than she’d ever felt before.

If anything, she wasn’t scared of leaving, she knew Ethan would find a way to stay in touch, she was more scared for Leanne.

Leanne had already lost two children, she didn’t want to be the third.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s going on?” Ariel asked, fear flooding her voice, as she looked at Noa, silently begging for someone to make this all go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure this is my best work, but I hope it's enjoyable!

Ariel walked through the school halls on autopilot. Another hour and a half until she could go home. Maths was her last lesson, and although it wasn’t her favourite subject, her teacher was very much a ‘work in silence’ kind of guy, which meant she didn’t have to speak, and she could get on with her work without having to fake a smile.

Sitting down, she pulled out her text book and exercise book, following the instructions on the whiteboard, while a part of her mind drifted to what she was going to do about Shona.

As she wrote the date, page number and the equation she was working on, she wondered if speaking to the woman would do any good. Maybe hearing from her would help. Maybe Shona could give her answers, one as to why she was here, but also why she left in the first place, or why her dad would tell her that she was dead, but, maybe if Ariel spoke to Shona, she could convince the older woman that she was happy here, with Ethan and Leanne, and that she wanted to stay.

It worked in all of the movies she’d seen, but she knew that wasn’t real life. It didn’t really matter, Ariel just wanted to do her bit, she wanted to try and help, and the only way to do that was to speak to this woman, ask the hard questions and hope to god she would leave them alone.  
  
After maths class, Ariel walked quickly along the corridor and almost ran to the school bus stop, making sure to get the bus that went past the hospital instead of her home.

“Angels Memorial, please,” She smiled to the bus driver, flashing her school I.D, before heading to sit down, shoving her headphones in.

_‘I need your help,’_

She text Noa, hoping that the doctor would be willing to help her without telling Leanne or Ethan.

_‘Whatever you need, is everything okay?’_

Ariel smiled, typing back, _‘Yeah, I’m heading to the hospital now. I need ten minutes alone with Shona, is she still at the hospital?’_

There wasn’t a response for a few moments, so Ariel put her headphones in and turned on her music, she still had a good fifteen minutes before they got to the hospital.

 _‘Is this just between us?”_ Ariel wanted to be sarcastic, but she knew she needed Noa’s help.

_‘Yes. I just want a few answers. Then I promise I will leave it to CFS.’_

She hoped that would be enough to convince Noa to help her, she didn’t think what she was asking was too bad. Ethan had spoken to the woman, she why couldn’t she?

_‘Meet me in level one of the car park, I’ll take you up.’_

_‘Thank you, Noa. I owe you one.’_

Ariel took a deep breath, she didn’t know if this would go like she wanted it to, but hopefully she would get some kind of answer, and even if she didn’t at least she could plead her case. She loved Ethan and Leanne, they were her parents, they loved her, and she didn’t want to leave.

* * *

 _  
_Meeting Noa, she gave the doctor a smile.

“Thank you for doing this. I just want to ask her why and ask her to leave us alone.” Noa gave her a look that Ariel had seen multiple times before. It said ‘really, that’s your plan’.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell someone about this? Maybe your mum? Ariel, this is a difficult situation,” Ariel cut her off.

“She wants to ruin my family. She left me before I could even walk, my dad told me she was dead, and now, after fourteen years she wants me back. I just need ten minutes to ask her why, and then to ask her to go. Please, just take me to her.”

“Fine, but you get ten minutes and then I am taking you down to Leanne’s office.” Noa said, sighing a little before gesturing to the stairwell, hoping that no one saw them, and that Shona Braeden listened to the teen.

Ariel hesitated at the door, looking at Noa, who gave her a small smile, waiting for her to go in before she went to sit on the chairs further down the hall, keeping an eye out for anyone who may want to see or speak to the patient.

Ariel walked in, closing the door quietly behind her, looking at the woman who was sat up in bed. Her leg in a cast, and Ariel knew that was the only reason she was still here, she had broken her ankle and because she had no family to care for her, she needed to remain in hospital until she had mastered how to get around on crutches.

“Ms Braeden, I’m Ariel Rorish.” Ariel said, walking into the room, pushing her backpack off her shoulders, putting it on the floor near the door.

“I know who you are. You haven’t changed you know,” The woman paused. “Come in, sit down.”

Ariel couldn’t help but feel like she knew who this woman was. Of course, a teacher at school had told her that someone called Shona was asking after her, and she’d seen a few pictures at her Aunts house, but she hadn’t seen her up close or in the physical sense until now.

“I’ll stand, but thank you,” Ariel smiled politely. “Look, I don’t have long, but I want to know why you’re here. I was adopted, and they went through all of my records, you didn’t show up, so, I guess I want to know why you’re here and who you are.” Ariel know what she’d just said made no sense, but she hoped the woman understood what she was getting at.

“Ariel, sweetie, it’s complicated, but your dad asked me to leave. He took my name off the birth certificate, which I didn’t even think was possible,” She paused, and Ariel wished she’d spoken to Ethan, see what she had told him. See if she was lying.

“I just want my little girl back,” Ariel felt fear flood through her. Despite the calm voice she could see it in the woman’s face, she was being serious, she was ready to fight, and she wasn’t going to stop. The only thing that gave her comfort was knowing that Leanne and Ethan wouldn’t stop fighting for her either.

 _  
_ She opened her mouth to give a response, but Noa opened the door looking a little flustered.

“Ariel, we need to go, now.” She smiled, but Ariel could see the panic in her eyes.

The teen moved to pick up her bag, only looking back at the older woman to give her a small smile, regretting that she hadn’t told the woman to leave her alone, but knowing Noa well enough to know that she needed to go and go now.

“What’s going on?” Ariel asked as the pair practically ran down the corridor and into the elevator.

Noa didn’t speak, she just kept looking over at Ariel, trying to give her a calming smile, but knowing it wasn’t working.

As the doors opened, Ariel went to try again before they reached the ER but stopped when she caught sight of a group of people clustered near Leanne’s office.

“What’s going on?” Ariel asked, fear flooding her voice, as she looked at Noa, silently begging for someone to make this all go away.

“Child protective services are here. They’re taking your mum in for questioning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, would you like to read more? Because I have more!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want my daughter back, Dr Willis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally found a direction for this story, so I hope this is good enough!

“Ms Rorish, all we want is to ask you a few questions.” The female in front of her said with a small smile.

“I just want to get out of here. I haven’t seen my daughter all day and I didn’t get to explain to her what’s going on.” Leanne said, her voice verging on harsh.

The woman nodded in understanding. “I know this must be hard, but your partner, an Ethan Willis is with her, correct?”

Leanne nodded, at least Ariel wasn’t alone, even if she’d be with Ethan while he was in a bad mood. Nearly everyone in the ER had seen what had happened, and while Leanne wasn’t all to concerned with them, she had caught sight of the anger on Ethan’s face when the two Child Protective Services agents asked her to go with them.

“Ms Rorish,” The woman started. “I know you called Child and Family services yesterday about your daughter Ariel’s adoption, and we are working along side them to sort this out, but unfortunately, when we hear of a child being mistreated we have to investigate that.” Leanne’s eye went wide in shock.

“Mistreated? I would never mistreat my child, what exactly do you think happened?” Leanne asked, her voice breaking as she tried to ask the question. Thinking of everything that she and Ariel had done together, and how any of that could be mistaken for abuse.

“It’s not physical abuse that was in the complaint, more emotional abuse. Ms Rorish, you had two children, prior to adopting Ariel, is that correct?”

Leanne nodded, “Yes, a son and a daughter,”

“And where are they now?”

“Dead. My two children along with my husband died six years ago when a drunk driver hit us.” Leanne said, a part of her brain willing her to stay calm as she told this woman the fate of her husband and two children.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Leanne was too, but right now this wasn’t about her, this was about Ariel and what was going to happen to her. She carried on pacing, looking back at the woman every so often, trying so desperately to piece this together and to not fall apart. Right now, she needed to be strong.

She didn’t fight this hard for the teen for her to be ripped away from her.

“Ms Rorish, do you feel incapable of looking after Ariel, because of losing your own children? We see it a lot in adoptive parents, mothers who want their adoptive children to be replicas of their biological ones,” The woman seemed to be reading out of a text book, the way she was looking at Leanne, almost as if she knew she was right, but the woman couldn’t be more wrong.

“I would never force Ariel to be like Caitlin.” Leanne said, stopping in her tracks, tears burning in the corners of her eyes.

“Ariel and Caitlin are two very different people. I would never want Ariel to be anyone other than herself and she knows that. She knows that she can do whatever she wants, she can join whatever clubs she wants, listen to whatever music she wants! I am not forcing my daughter to be anyone but herself. She is a loved little girl, she is happy with me and Ethan, and whoever is feeding you these lies clearly has an ulterior motive, because I would never, ever do anything to harm the relationship I have built up with that young girl!” Leanne felt almost relieved after her speech.

Maybe it wouldn’t look so good on her record, but she was slowly beginning to lose it with the tone of voice the agent had and how she was speaking to her. She couldn’t believe that someone who knew them would think that she was tying to turn Ariel into another version of Caitlin.

But then again, the voice in the back of her mind was telling her that this wasn’t someone they knew, but it was someone who wanted Ariel.

* * *

“Willis,” Will Campbell’s voice filled the hallway as the Army Colonel stormed down the hallway, followed closely by his daughter and just about every resident from the ER.

“Dad,”

“Not now, Ariel.”

“Dad, mum said we need to do this the right way,” Ariel tried, but she knew there was no getting through to him. He was doing all he could to protect them, even if it meant confronting a patient.

“Ariel,” Ethan warned, but he knew the teen all too well. She was always going to fight back.

“Dad, please,” Her voice sounded as though it was on the verge of tears, and that was something Ethan couldn’t take.

Stopping in his tracks, just a few steps away from Shona’s room he turned to Ariel. “I will not let this woman ruin our family, Ariel. So, wait with Noa, and let me speak to her.”

The teen didn’t have to chance to say anything else, because Ethan had already stormed into the room, the door slamming behind him as the residents in the corridor waited for Ethan’s loud voice to rattle the windows.

“How dare you,” But Ethan’s voice wasn’t loud, it was low, harsh, and terrifying.

“Excuse me, Dr Willis?”

“You walked away from that child. You left her, you didn’t fight, you left. Then she lost her father, her aunt kicked her out and she has spent the best part of two years being shipped around the country. Until she came here. We care for her. Leanne cares for her and loves her and helps her. You had no right to go to Child Protective Services,” Ethan was seething with anger.

He was angry that this woman would do such a thing, when she had no legal rights over Ariel. He was worried about Leanne and Ariel, and all he wanted was for this to be over and done with. He wanted to crawl into bed with Leanne, have Ariel asleep down the hall and act like none of this ever happened.

“I want my daughter back, Dr Willis.”

Ariel stood outside the hospital room, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to believe Ethan, she wanted to believe that he and Leanne would get to keep her, but this woman wanted her back so badly that she was willing to take Leanne down.

It broke Ariel’s heart.

“They’re going to take me away, aren’t they?”

“Ariel,”

“I knew this was all too good to be true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts are very much loved and appreciated around here!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And we love you too, honey, so, so much,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters left! Hopefully this doesn't suck too much!

Ariel didn’t know what to do with herself. This was the first time she had heard Leanne and Ethan fight and the moment it started she knew she didn’t like it. She wanted it to stop, she wanted them to go back to being loved up and gross.

She was sat at the top of the stairs listening to the argument that was happening in the kitchen, the back and forth between her parents about fighting for her, Ethan’s argument with Shona, then Child Protective Services.

The more she heard, she more she’d had enough, she just wanted all of it to be okay, she wanted them to hold her and tell her that no matter what she was safe with them. Standing up she made her way down the stairs, sucking in a deep breath as she got to the bottom.

“Well, apparently I am incapable of treating Ariel like an individual, which I am sure Shona’s lawyer will love,” Ariel stopped in the doorway, shocked at what she’d just heard.

“Lawyer? Is this going to court?” Ariel couldn’t stop herself from asking the question.

Both Ethan and Leanne looked at her in shock. It took a moment, but Leanne finally moved towards her, reaching out to pull her into a hug.

“It’s looking that way, sweetheart, but we are going to sort this out,” Leanne told her, but Ariel knew better, she knew this was going to be a long process.

Looking over at Ethan, she could see the upset and hurt in his eyes, but she didn’t want to say anything, she knew right now he was trying to be strong for them.

“What did the CPS ask you? Why would they say your incapable?” Ariel moved out of her mother’s grasp, folding her arms across her chest, hugging herself tight.

“Why don’t we go and sit down, and then we can all talk about this?” Ethan spoke up for the first time, suggesting they all sat down to talk. It wasn’t a bad idea, and all three of them knew a talk needed to happen.

Everything needed to be out in the open, they needed to know where they were and what was going to happen, they would all need to take this in, comprehend it and then deal with it, together, as a family.

They all sat down in the living room, Ariel picked up the throw pillow holding it close to her chest, hoping it would make her feel better. Ethan and Leanne sat next to each other, but Ariel could tell things were tense between the two of them, something which was breaking her heart a little.

“So, did child protective services really arrest you?” Ariel asked quietly.

Leanne sighed, “They didn’t arrest me, they just wanted to ask me some questions after they received information that you were being mistreated, but, they’re happy that you are safe here and they want to leave it to Child and Family Services,”

“Who wants to take this to court?” Ariel cut Leanne off, it was all she wanted to know. Would they have to go to court again?

Ethan rubbed a hand over his face, realising how much Ariel didn’t know. The last few days had been a mass of phone calls and emails, most of which they didn’t tell Ariel about out of fear she’d rebel or get too upset.

“CFS is still looking into Shona, but if it turns out that she is your biological mother, then she wants custody, so yes, we will have to go back to court, but if not, then your case will get handed back over to Child Protective Services who will want to ask you some questions about how you are being treated by us, your living conditions, things like that,” Ethan explained as best he could. He so desperately wanted to give her a yes or no answer, but he couldn’t.

Ariel thoughts for a moment, taking it all in. Her head felt full of information, and she could feel tears burning behind her eyes. She really wanted something to be simple, or just for everything to be normal.

“I never thought I would wish for one of Mr Burns history lessons,” The teen tried to joke, but she knew it was no good.

Looking up, she smiled at Leanne, wondering if or not she could ask more about what happened. She wanted to know what Child Protective Services actually asked her.

“Why do they think your incapable of looking after me?” Ariel asked finally. She could tell her parents were looking at her, waiting for her to talk, giving her the space, giving her all the time she needed.

“The complaint stated I was emotionally incapable of looking after you and your needs. Basically, they don’t believe that I can love and treat you as an individual, because of what happened to Caitlin and Eli. Apparently, it is common with adoptive parents for the to turn the adoptee into a version of their biological child, and there was more of a case, because I lost my biological children.” Leanne explained, her voice shaking a little as she spoke of the two children she lost.

Ariel sat in shock for a moment, “But, that’s not true.”

“We know, honey, but,” Ethan tried, but Ariel interrupted him again.

“No! Why can’t people just leave us alone? We’re happy, we are a family, you guy took me in, and everything was perfect, I was doing good, I was getting good grades, I was making friends! You treat me like me, I am nothing like my sister, I don’t even like the colour pink!” Ariel said, her voice getting louder as she got more and more upset.

“Honey,” Leanne started, getting up from her seat to sit next to her daughter.

“We will figure this all out, just like we did when your dad died, just like we did during the virus, just like we did when you were a volunteer, and when we had your custody hearing. We have figured everything out up until now and we will do it again. You’re not going anywhere, you are our daughter, and we love you and care about you, and,” Leanne took a breath.

“Mum,”

“I am sorry this is happening, but I promise, I will fix it, okay?” Leanne gave a smile, but Ariel could tell that she was struggling.

Ariel had heard Leanne talking to Jesse the other day, about how she felt she was failing as a mother, and even thought Leanne was dead set on sorting everything out, it made Ariel’s heart ache to know that despite her words and all that she had done for the teen she felt like she was failing.

“I just want normal, I want to be a normal family,” Ariel said, her voice breaking.

Ethan got up from his seat, walking over to where his girls were sat, sitting on the other side of Ariel, pulling both of them towards him. He didn’t know what to say, or even do at this point, but he knew that something needed to happen, because it almost killed him to see both Leanne and Ariel this way. Knowing how Leanne felt and hearing Ariel speak.

All he wanted to know was why them? Why his family? Why his girls? Hadn’t they suffered enough?

“I love you both.” Ariel said, her voice quiet.

“And we love you too, honey, so, so much,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This family kills me! How did you like it?!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have a family here, so, I am begging you please, don’t take that away from me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the last! Oh my goodness!   
> I hope this brings out the emotional side to you all!

Leanne paced up and down the halls of the L.A courthouse. Never did she think she would be here again. Six weeks. That’s how much time had passed since Shona Braeden had walked into their lives. And now, six weeks later she could be potentially tearing it apart.

Leanne had spent the last hour answering question and practically begging the judge to let her keep Ariel. Ethan had sat behind her with the rest of those from Angels who’d come to support her, but Leanne didn’t know if her words would be enough. She had to wait another few moments before she got to see Ariel in court, her little girl speaking in front of a judge pleading her case to people she’d never met.

“She’ll be fine, Leanne, she’s a tough kid.” Ethan said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“I really hope so. I just want her back home with us.” Ethan smiled, and nodded. It was all he wanted too.

* * *

Ariel stood in the middle of a courtroom looking at the judge. Leanne, Ethan and the rest of her family sat on the one side behind her and on the other a few people she recognised from her time in juvie, her aunt and the woman who was actually her biological mother, something she wished she didn’t know.

“Miss Rorish, I believe you have something you’d like to share,” Ariel simply nodded, unfolding the piece of paper she was clutching.

“Okay, why don’t you go ahead and start reading,” The judge seemed nice enough, he seemed a little older than sixty and was kind, but Ariel still felt scared, this was the man who was about to decide her future, she just hoped her words would make a difference.

“I won’t bore everyone with my story so far, because I am sure my file sent everyone to sleep when preparing for this case,” She started, her voice shaking a little.

“What I did want to say is how lucky I am. I met Leanne Rorish a little over two years ago when my father was in a car accident and taken to Angels Memorial Hospital, it was a place that I never wanted to see again, it was a place of some much pain and heartbreak, a place where I lost the only person who ever loved me. From there I was placed with my aunt, got into trouble more than a few times, and to make a long story short I ended up back at Angels asking for the doctor who fought to save my fathers life,” Ariel stopped taking a deep breath, still refusing to look at anyone.

“After surviving a deadly virus, getting into a little bit of trouble with the nurses and deciding that, no, I wasn’t going to join a school where learning Russian was compulsory, Leanne made the decision to adopt me.” She paused again, reaching to push some of her hair out of her eyes before she carried on.

“The reason I am telling you all of this is so you’re aware of how much I know, and how much I understand. Now that you can see that I am not as oblivious as the lawyers in the room have made out, I wanted to plead my own case to stay with Leanne, to stay at Angels and to finally be a normal teenager within a normal loving family.” Ariel looked up at the judge who gave her a short nod to continue.

“My family isn’t biological, but I will admit that those around me, show me love and compassion that I didn’t even think was possible. The Chief of Surgery is a man, who, at times can be pretty scary, but he has taught me to ‘run with it’ to take every opportunity that is given to you and work on it as if it’s the only thing that will keep you alive. Through him, I have also met one of my closest friends, his daughter Emily, who shows me daily that despite life not always being peachy, you just have to keep going. Earlier I mention the virus that nearly killed me, and while I am sure the CDC will take credit for the vaccine, the cure, and the survival of all those who made it, I give credit to only one man. Dr Guthrie, who told me that sometimes you have to be the miracle needed to make it through, I will be the first to admit that is one of the mantra’s I repeat every morning.” Again, Ariel stopped, she could feel tears burning in the corners of her eyes and just hoped she could keep her emotions at bay, although she did want everyone to see just how much these people meant to her.

“In this world you need to stand your ground, and that lesson is shown to me every time I walk into that ER by a doctor who doesn’t yet realise how great he is, Dr Dixon will one day be a fine doctor, who will continue to save many lives. Angels is a place of life and death, and although the doctor I’m taking about didn’t like me at first, I hope he understands that his words, teachings, and ability to step up when he is needed is one of the reasons I kept fighting after losing someone I cared about, Dr Savetti, is someone who I am always grateful for. Dr Angus Leighton, despite being known as the son of someone who earns a lot more money than most, is one of the humblest people I know, his humour is always welcome, his dedication is admirable, and his ability to teach a stubborn teenage geography is the biggest reason my teachers haven’t given up all hope for me yet. Although, I’m still not a hundred percent sure where Azerbaijan is.”

That got a laugh from those in the courtroom, something Ariel was happy about. At least she could add some humour into all she was saying.

“Women who support other woman is such a big movement right now, and I see that daily. From a second year called Noa Kean, who will push and push to ensure a patient lives and gets the best care possible to a paramedic called Rox who sees her own life as nothing compared to those a patient, you can be certain that I am not short of female role models. Since going back to Angels, I have gained a family, but the next three people I’m about to mention are three of the most important people I have ever met, and to know them, and to have them love me in the way they do makes me feel like the luckiest person alive.”

Ariel turned to face her family. Looking at Leanne who was sat in the middle of Ethan and Jesse.

“Jesse, thank you for teaching me that family doesn’t have to be blood, but those who love you unconditionally. Your constant life lessons, your love and your confidence in me is something that I will never forget. In just a few short months you gave me confidence and self-worth, you pushed me to be a better person, and I know that I don’t always show it, but I am forever grateful that you choose to take on the battle of dealing with me and showing me that the cathedral I am blessed to walk in will show me that life should be taken seriously, but love should always come first. Siempre somos familia.” Ariel blinked back a few tears, turning the paper over.

“Ethan. Dad. Where do I even begin? You never did adopt me, and I don’t think this is what you had planned, but I think you deserve a medal for taking in an emotionally unstable teenager who will always question your ability to do DIY. Thank you, for accepting that fact that I won’t always call you dad, thank you for letting me cry, letting me fight back, and letting me figure out who I am, I know none of this has been easy, but you have treated me with some much respect and kindness, that at times I have wondered if it’s me you actually see. I hope that with your constant guidance I can show that love, respect and kindness to everyone else I meet. I promise I will always do what I can to ensure that when I grow up, you won’t regret making the decision to care for me.”

Ariel took her final deep breath, looking at Leanne.

“Mum. I know this isn’t what you wanted, I know that taking me in wasn’t a part of your plan, but I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you did. I know I don’t always say it, or even show it, but I do love you and I am so thankful for all that you have done for me. I don’t think I will ever be able to put into words how loved and safe I feel with you, how supported you make me feel and how your encouragement has made me believe in myself. Six years ago, you lost your husband and your two children, and I know that I will never be able to give you back what you have lost, but I hope my love for you as a mother will make you realise that this is what you were supposed to do. Thank you for taking me in when no one would, thank you for fighting for me like no one has before. The only thing I want in my life is to make you proud, because every day you step into that ER and you fight to save lives, before coming home to care for me, and that, is the reason you are my inspiration, my hero and the only mother I will ever need.”

She looked up from the paper to see the people in front of her, a mixture of tears and smiles of pride. Ariel knew she needed to finish off saying what she’d written.

“Judge,” She turned to the judge. “Leanne loves me, and she cares about me, and she is a really good mother, I have a family here, so, I am begging you please, don’t take that away from me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I made you cry, but I promise, this story does have a happy ending!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I hear by grant sole custody of Ariel Louise Rorish to Leanne Marie Rorish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. I hope it's a good read, and it isn't terrible, but it's a happy ending, just as promised!

Leanne felt like a weight had been lifted over the last week. The words of the judge spinning around her head, while she watched Ethan and Ariel mess around in the back yard.

_“I hear by grant sole custody of Ariel Louise Rorish to Leanne Marie Rorish.”_

Everything had felt right in the world when she heard those words, Ariel had hugged her so tight, before hugging everyone else, and Leanne felt so much pride when each and everyone one of those people told Ariel how proud they were of her, and how much they loved her and considered her family.

A week had passed, and finally things were getting back to normal. Ariel was back in school, she’d taken up gymnastics and netball, and often stayed behind to help out with projects or get extra tutoring, and Leanne swore her career ambitions changed like the wind, but at least the teen had some normality in her life.

Sometimes Ariel would volunteer at Angels, she and Jesse would have conversations in Spanish, something the senior nurse loved. He had told Leanne that if there was anything he wanted to do for Ariel, it was to make sure that Spanish was her second language. Angus would randomly ask her what the capital of a country was, just to help her out with Geography, and sometimes Noa would give her lectures about her posture now that she was into gymnastics.

Everything seemed to settle. Leanne and Ethan had fallen into a normal routine, and despite the ups and downs they’d been through, they were closer, stronger, and more in love, even though neither of them thought it was possible.

Pulling herself away from the window she wondered upstairs, stopping outside of Ariel’s room. She knew they really needed to get it sorted. It was still full of Caitlin’s things, her posters on the wall, some of her clothes still in the dresser. As much as Leanne knew it was going to be hard, this was Ariel’s room now, this needed to be her safe space.

Walking to the next door she came to her son’s room. It was exactly how he had left it six years ago, Leanne would dust it from time to time, but she’d never had the heart to sort his things out. She knew it could be used as an office, or a spare room, the spare room seemed like a good idea with how many sleep overs Ariel kept planning.

Walking into the room she sat on the bed, looking around. It was like going back in time, but she knew she needed to look forward, she had a new life now, a new life with Ethan and Ariel, she couldn’t keep living in the past.

“I wish I had the opportunity to meet them,” Ariel voice made Leanne look up.

Ethan and Ariel stood in the door way. “Yeah, I think they would have liked you. Caitlin always wanted a sister,”

“Do you want some time alone?” Ethan asked.

Leanne shook her head, she’d spent enough time alone over the years, now she had two people in her life who loved her, and whom she loved. She needed to stop closing herself from everyone.

“No, I came up here to start cleaning. I mean, now we know that Ariel isn’t going anywhere, I think it’s about time to take all of Caitlin’s pictures down, maybe paint the walls. I am sure this room can be turned into an office or something,” Leanne got up off the bed, gesturing to the room.

“Mum,” Ariel said, her voice quiet.

“They’re not here, Ariel, they’re never going to be back here, so why deprive you of your own room, because I keep living in the past. What kind of mother would I be if I made you live like Caitlin did?” She smiled, tears spilling over, and slowly rolling down her cheeks.

“Why don’t I call my dad? I am sure we could find some boxes, we could store it in his garage?” Ethan put in, taking a step further into the room.

Once again, Leanne shook her head.

“I have these memory boxes that John’s father brought me when they died. I can put what I want to keep in there, but the rest of it can go.” Leanne looked at Ariel. “I’m sorry for making you stay in that room for so long.”

Ariel shook her head. “She was my sister. I guess being in that room, I got to feel like I knew her.”

Ariel moved forward, hugging Leanne as tight as possible.

“Come on, let’s start with your room. I’ll get those memory boxes out of the basement, and we can start making that bedroom into your bedroom.” Leanne said with a smile, a genuine smile, one that Ethan and Ariel hadn’t seen for a while.

“You sure?” Leanne could hear the excitement in Ariel’s voice.

“Yes!” Leanne and Ethan said in unison, making the teen squeal with joy before she left the room, heading to what would soon be her room, just the way she pictured it.

Ethan looked over at Leanne for a moment, giving her a smile.

“I’m sorry,” Leanne said.

“For what, love?” Ethan asked, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

“Everything. I don’t know, I just feel like, like I should have done more to move on,” Ethan shook his head, moving backwards to sit on the bed, waiting for Leanne to sit next to him.

“Leanne, baby, you lost everyone. You lost the three most important people in your life, you have got every single right to feel that grief. Ariel and I, we know that, and we accept it. Love, we’re not replacing them, we don’t want to, but don’t feel like just because we are here, that you need to forget you were married with two kids.” Ethan said, before placing a kiss to the side of her head.

“I’m scared I am going to lose you two, like I lost them, Ethan.”

“Leanne,” Ethan started, making her look at him. “I am not going anywhere. I love you, I have done since I first set foot in that ER, and I love Ariel, and she’s not going anywhere,”

There was a slight pause, before the realisation seemed to hit them both.

“She’s ours, Leanne. She is our little girl, and she isn’t going anywhere,”

“It’s true,” Ariel said from the doorway, making them both look up. Ariel had tears in her eyes too, and for a moment Leanne wondered how much of the conversation she’d overheard.

“I’m not going anywhere, mum. I’m staying here and I’m going to make you both proud. All I wanted when my dad died was a family, and now I have one. I have a mum and a dad, and two sibling who I want to know more about. I want to hear you talk about Caitlin and Eli, I want to hear you mention John from time to time, just like you let me talk about my dad. We are a family, and families accept each other.” Ariel moved further into the room, sitting in between Leanne and Ethan.

“Honey, you are so important, to the both of us, we love you so much,” Ethan said with a teary-eyed smile, pulling both Leanne and Ariel into his embrace.

“I love you both too.”

* * *

A few hours passed as the three of them started to clean out Caitlin’s old room. Leanne making a pile of things she wanted to keep, while Ethan and Ariel discussed paint colours.

“Well, I know what I want hanging first,” Ariel smiled, reaching under the bed, and pulling out a box of things.

“I want to put these two frames up.” Ariel pulled out the first frame, a picture that Jesse had taken outside of the hospital months ago after a long shift, they all had their backs to the camera, Ariel was in the middle of Ethan and Leanne and they had their arms around her.

The second was a frames quote. “I read this in one of the magazines, I thought it was fitting for all of us.”

Ariel passed the frame over to Leanne and Ethan.

_‘Family isn’t defined only by last names or by blood; it’s defined by commitment and by love. It means showing up when they need it most. It means having each other’s backs, it means choosing to love each other even on days when you struggle to like each other. It means never, ever, giving up on each other.’_

“I think that pretty much sums us up.” Ethan smiled.

“Yeah, I think it does.” Leanne couldn’t help but agree, looking over at Ariel. Feeling the same amount of love for this child as she had done for her other two.

They were all finally home, all where they needed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me! Let me know what you thought of the final chapter! It's been a journey, but finally this little family is right where it needs to be!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
